175 million in 5 years! Kuminga asked for a maximum salary, and the Warriors angrily scolded: You are just Curry s "pendant"!

Half a year ago, in the corridor of the Golden State Warriors' training hall, a contract renewal with an annual salary of $30 million was silently returned. Jonathan Cumingga, who is only 22 years old, has a bright look. What he wants is not this "high" offer, but a five-year, $175 million maximum salary contract. In the eyes of the Warriors management, this teenager who walked out of the African slum seemed to have forgotten his true position in the team - it was just a "pendant" under Curry's halo.

From the Star of Hope to the "Greedy" rookie

, a few months ago, Kumingga's name shone with the light of "Dynasty Successor". In the regular season of the 2023-24 season, he averaged 16.1 points and 4.8 rebounds per game, and his data rose to the star level of 20 points and 7 rebounds per 36 minutes. The Warriors coaching staff once designed elbow area singles tactics for him, seeing him as a key piece to solve the dilemma of aging in Jinzhou.

When the Warriors handed over the contract with an annual salary of 30 million in December last year, Kumingga's refusal was like cold water. His team's asking price is as high as 175 million in five years, but the evaluation of an Eastern Conference scout revealed the cruel reality: "His athletic talent ranks among the top 10% of the league, but his basketball IQ is still hovering in the countdown to dozens."

Tripped Tactical Edition

Jimmy Butler airborne the Golden State in January this year, and Kumingga's tactical value evaporated instantly. Within 17 minutes of the two playing at the same time, the Warriors lost 21 points to the Clippers. Coach Cole had no choice but to show off: "They are like two magnets that repel each other."

The technical shortcomings were revealed in the strong dialogue:

three-point shooting percentage was only 30.5%, and the opponent's average 2.3 meters in defense. When he was on the court at the same time as Butler, the duo only made 5.7 three-pointers every 36 minutes, ranking last in the league

per game 2.1 unforced pass mistakes per game, which made Zhu Meng so angry that Green threw the tactical board

8}

What's even more painful is the playoff bench, which was DNP by Cole many times. Only after Butler was injured and Curry was injured did he get enough playing time. However, except for data swiping, his contribution to the team is almost negligible, and he is completely unable to lead the team to win like Curry and Jimmy. He is the culprit in losing to the Timberwolves in the playoffs. He ate Curry's time but wasted the efforts of the whole team.

Powder barrels in the locker room "Do you think you are Durant?" Green yelled in public during a training session in April. The fuse was that Kumingga ignored the empty teammates for three consecutive times and insisted on playing singles. This "suicide breakthrough" has been as many as 24 times this season, 18 of which happened after Butler joined.

When the team scored the trust level internally, Kumingga's name fell to the end of the list - 12 points lower than the ten-day short contract player. On the bench of G2 in the Western Conference semi-finals against the Timberwolves, when all the players cheered for Payton's dunk, only the scene of Kumingga lowering his head and playing with his fingers went viral on social media. Netizens' comments came to the forefront: "There is no more light in his eyes."

The high bet on the edge of the cliff

Now the Warriors are standing on the salary cliff, the management's final struggle is to hand over a three-year "incentive contract", and the terms require Kumingga to play 30 minutes per game to trigger the protection. But the young man is still stubborn - refuses any clause linked to tactical status.

When the Warriors bus left the center of Chase, Kumingga stood alone under the neon lights. The bold words he made when he refused 30 million six months ago were still in his ears, but now the highest offer for him in the trading market is only the second round of picks and the expiration contract. A Western executive said a bit cold: "We would rather have Paul, 38, than take over this young man who can't shoot."

From the slum to the maximum dream, the stairs of the basketball temple are much steeper than Kumingga imagined. The championship flag hanging on the wall of the Golden State locker room trembled in the wind, as if asking: When the "Curry pendant" tear off the label, is it awaiting him a rebirth or a cruel wandering prologue in the NBA?